US presidential debate: John McCain fails to dent Barack Obama's lead

Republican nominee Senator John McCain has used the final presidential debate
to aggressively demand that Senator Barack Obama explain his relationship
with a 1960s radical.

Barack Obama and John McCain have taken part in their final debate

By Alex Spillius in Hempstead, New York

6:11AM BST 16 Oct 2008

Mr McCain also attacked his Democratic rival as a high tax, high-spending liberal.

Saving their sharpest encounter for the final debate, held at at Hofstra University in Long Island, the US presidential candidates offered clear differences in their visions for the country one of them will be soon be governing.

Much of their disagreement centred around an Ohio plumber, Joe Wurzelbacher, whose recently confronted Mr Obama about the higher taxes he would face under the Democrat’s plans. Several times both candidates addressed their comments to “Joe the Plumber” – “if you are watching”.

Despite scoring several points, and forcing Mr Obama to admit that higher earners will face tax rises, even Mr McCain’s supporters admitted that he had not achieved the “game-changing” evening that would have instantly altered the race with just 20 days to go.

The Arizona senator’s combative approach once again seemed to have backfired, with snap opinion polls by US television networks all scoring a large victory for Mr Obama.

With the economy on the verge of serious recession voters have in the past fortnight rejected the Republican’s more negative approach.

Slipping further behind in the polls, the Vietnam War veteran came out fighting and repeated to Mr Obama's face some of the most negative campaign allegations about the Illinois senator.

He demanded to know the full extent of Mr Obama’s relationship with Bill Ayers, an education professor who was the founder group of anti-Vietnam War militants called the Weather Underground that bombed government buildings in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

"I don't care about an old washed-up terrorist, but as Senator Clinton said in her debates with you, we need to know the full extent of the relationship with you," said Mr McCain.

But Mr Obama hit back: "Let's get the record straight. Bill Ayers is a professor of education in Chicago. Forty years ago, when I was eight years old, he engaged in despicable acts with a radical group. I have condemned those acts.

"Mr. Ayers is not involved in my campaign, he has never been involved in my campaign, and he will not be in the White House."

Mr McCain also questioned his opponent’s relationship with Acorn, a Left-wing community group accused of attempting to register hundreds of voters illegally.

Mr Obama, who was frequently forced on the defensive, pointed out that he once represented Acorn as a lawyer many years ago, and that Acorn had nothing to do his campaign.

The Illinois senator added that the people he associated with included billionaire businessman Warren Buffett, Republican senator Dick Luger, and former NATO chief Gen James Jones.

“Those are the people, Democrats and Republicans, who have shaped my ideas and who will be surrounding me in the White House," Mr Obama said.

"And I think that the fact that this has become such an important part of your campaign, Senator McCain, says more about your campaign than it says about me," he added.

When Mr Obama made his familiar accusation that a McCain administration would represent four more years of fellow Republican George W Bush, Mr McCain responded sharply:

“Senator Obama, I am not president Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run four years ago.”

Mr Obama was forced to salute his opponent’s independence from Mr Bush on some issues such as torture, but said that on the economy “essentially what you are proposing is four more years of the same thing”.